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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27500812">Left for Dead</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AussieBudgieB/pseuds/AussieBudgieB'>AussieBudgieB</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>1917 (Movie 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Reuniting, Tom Blake Lives</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 02:47:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27500812</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AussieBudgieB/pseuds/AussieBudgieB</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Blake wakes up with a pain in his stomach, but it’s not from hunger.<br/>His main thought is to get back to his friend and let him know he’s still alive.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tom Blake/William Schofield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Left for Dead</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thomas Blake didn’t often dream, but when he did it was almost always of home. The green fields covered with pale pink petals. His mom baking all sorts of delicious pies; His favourite was sweet cherry. Occasionally he would have the odd nightmare, but they never lasted for long, he was always woken up by a kick just hard enough to return him to consciousness.</p>
<p>There was no well meaning kick this time as Blake slowly rose to consciousness. The world was blurry and tinted and it took more than one time to actually achieve consciousness.</p>
<p>This time it seems the nightmare is real, the smell of blood and the warmth of the embers concrete proof. Blake forgets how he got here. He can’t even move his head to look around, merely blinking is an effort. His stomach hurts painfully, but not from a lack of food. He gathers he’s been shot or something. It would explain the dry blood he can feel on his hands.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The sun is in the middle of the hazy sky. It stays there for what feels like a lifetime.</p>
<p>He doesn’t panic, he feels like he probably should be panicking, but he feels oddly calm despite the situation.</p>
<p>Blake wonders why he’s alone. In the army, in war, you are never alone, and yet he can sense that there’s no living soul anywhere near him, the air is too quiet and still. He wonders if perhaps he wasn’t alone when he first set out. Surely not, if he’s outside the trenches, he must have been on a mission. At least it wasn’t a fight, there’s too much grass for it to have been a full battle. maybe he and a few others had all gone out, they had seen him get shot and left him for dead.</p>
<p>But surely Scho wouldn’t leave him?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blake faintly remembers Scho now, out here with him. specifically his friends hands, covered with blood; his blood. Oh god.</p>
<p>“Scho?” He calls out, his voice weaker than he intended and slightly raspy. He remembers they were on a mission, something important. Scho must think he’s dead, he wouldn’t have left him otherwise, of this he is sure. He feels the panic slowly rising in him, he has to remain calm.</p>
<p>Ok, no, screw that. He’s alone and wounded and he might really die out here. Myrtle just had puppies, he needs to see the puppies!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His consciousness starts to fade in and out again, every action turning into a struggle. Perhaps he will die out here, alone. He almost wishes he had died when Scho was here, speaking softly to him about... something. He’s not cold, but he shivers. It’s the fear, the fear of dying -alone, and no one knowing he’s still alive. He’s still alive god damn it!</p>
<p>He holds on to his conciseness as long as he can, he resolved that he’s not going to die out here, not like this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The sun has moved slightly behind the haze, although it is still very much high in the sky. Blake supposes that the pain is making minutes feel like hours. There’s not much in the silence to measure time by either. The crackle of the fire, and the distant sound of a cow mooing every so often. But then there’s another sound, the first new sound in what feels like forever, and it’s getting closer.</p>
<p>The sound of trucks, and men chattering. An army general barking orders. It takes Blake longer than it should to realise he can understand - it’s in English. ALLIES!</p>
<p>He tries to lift his head but it spins with the effort. He needs them to stop, to see he’s alive. After his last attempt, he doesn’t think he can whisper let alone yell. Gritting his teeth, he forages around in his pockets for anything to use.</p>
<p>A Grenade would certainly catch their attention, but also kill him in the process. His bloody map and compass are of no use.</p>
<p>His hands catch upon another object and he realises it’s possibly his only hope, his rifle being no where in sight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tilting his head instead of lifting it, he can see some cars starting to pass the road though the window. It’s not too far away. Lifting the torch and aiming it as best his can, he flashes it in the direction of the window. On and off, over and over.</p>
<p>The trucks continue to drive by and Blake feels fear run though him. It’s not working. He flicks it faster, frantically trying to catch anyone’s attention. He listens over his loud heartbeat as the last truck rolls past the window. He curses but continues his desperate flashing.</p>
<p>‘Please’ he whispers, despair gripping his heart. This isn’t how this story ends. This is not how Tom Blake is meant to go. He had a mission, he has to find his friend. He has to get home, to his mother and help with the harvest. He needs more time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He stops the flickering, defeated. The trucks have all gone past, soon he won’t hear them anymore. Perhaps another group will come along eventually?</p>
<p>Just as he thinks this, he hears shouting and the truck sounds stop fading, they simply stop sharply, Blakes heart soars with hope. Footsteps crunch the earth far away, but he can hear it clearly in the silence.</p>
<p>“Help!” He rasps in his loudest voice, just above a whisper. Approaching footsteps and finally a shadow standing over him. Multiple shadows.</p>
<p>“Bloody hell he’s alive!” A man says.</p>
<p>Blake watches as a taller man nods while looking at him, “your friend will be very happy to hear you’re alive”, he looks at the other man “find a surface and load him up”</p>
<p>A chorus of ‘yes sir’s and he and the tall man are alone. Blake hasn’t quite gotten past the fact that this man knows his friend.</p>
<p>“Where’s Scho?” He asks. His throat hurts when he speaks but he needs to know.</p>
<p>The tall man gazes intently at Blake, “we dropped him off at the bridge near Accust. We offered to take him all the way but we had to divert and he didn’t want to wait that long.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blake doesn’t reply, trying to remember why they were heading to accust. The man speaks up again, “perhaps it is lucky the bridge was down, otherwise we wouldn’t have been back this way. One of the men in the last carriage spotted your light. Good thinking”. He receives a careful clap on the shoulder from the officer before the man stands back to let his men load Blake onto a makeshift gurney. A door from the farm house.</p>
<p>“We can take you to the Devons, that’s where your friend was headed”</p>
<p>Blake nods as an answer, pleased that he’s been saved and is on his way to Scho. He allows himself to close his eyes. He’s alive and he is going to see Scho again. He’s going to make it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He dreams of cherry tree fields. There’s so many that you can’t even see the grass under the petals. There’s a river flowing softly in the distance and a soft voice somewhere in a Forrest. He’s under a big cheery tree, resting in the shade. There’s a warm body next to him, he doesn’t even need to guess. He knows who it is. There’s no war here, only beauty and peace.</p>
<p>The petals fall all around them as they sit, listening to the flowing water. There’s a waterfall in the distance, and someone far away, singing so softly that they can only just hear it. It’s so peaceful here. The two of them, side by side in this beautiful place.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When he wakes up next, he is no longer looking at a hazy sky in a silent place. Instead, above him is a tent roof, and there’s voices, so many beautiful, familiar voices.</p>
<p>“Tom?” A voice like that.</p>
<p>“Joe!” He tries to shout, but it ends in a chocked gasp. He hears a chuckle beside him.</p>
<p>“You absolute idiot” he hears his brother mutter affectionately. He grins in response.</p>
<p>If he’s with his brother, then they got to the Devon's ok, which must mean—</p>
<p>He reaches his hand over his stomach and feels stitches, lots of them over his wound. It’s an odd feeling, and he can’t even feel the stitches inside of him. Or perhaps the pain and discomfort will come later when he’s more awake. Either way, he has urgent questions.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Where’s Scho?”</p>
<p>He feels his brother shift beside him, his posture suddenly a lot straighter, tense.</p>
<p>“He was taken back to the 8th last morning” he says without emotion.</p>
<p>Tom feels disappointment flood over him at the news, but more importantly he notices his brothers hateful tone, he tries to look for his brothers face, his own confusion about his brother reaction evident.</p>
<p>Joe sighs, “he told me you were dead. He left you for-“ his voice breaks off with emotion. Toms heart bleeds for his brother.</p>
<p>He reaches out a hand, Joe takes it.</p>
<p>“That’s not how I remember it” Tom says weakly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Maybe if he can’t fix himself quite yet, or his relationship with Scho; Maybe he can repair the relationship with the two most important people in his life, “he made sure I wasn’t alone. He tried so hard to get me to some help. Yeah, Almost carried me like a princess” he grins and hears soft laughter from his brother.</p>
<p>He thinks back to what the tall man had said,</p>
<p>“I think we were on an important, urgent mission. My lazy ass passed out leaving Scho to do all the work apparently”</p>
<p>“You don’t remember?” Joe asks, his grip strengthening.</p>
<p>Tom shakes his head, “it’s all a bit hazy, I don’t even know how I got wounded” he tries to laugh but it comes out a sob. His brothers shadow falls over him and then his brother is bending over to hug him, still on the table. He clings to his brother, resolutely not breaking down, not yet.</p>
<p>So many reasons to cry, but also so many reasons to be glad. He’s alive, with his brother, he’s going to see Schofeild - William again. So he doesn’t cry, instead he smiles at his brother. Joe smiles back and he knows that everything is going to be ok.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The next week is both heaven and hell. He’s not allowed to move at all except occasionally to sit up to eat. His brother keeps him company and they do a lot of catching up. Blake eventually remembers everything and he feels so much happiness in the fact that Scho has saved his brother, has saved all these men around him. If Scho had stayed with him, as injured as he was, all these people would probably be dead, including his brother.</p>
<p>He tells Joe all about Scho, all their adventures, their ever growing friendship. He wants his brother to like the man that saved his life, he wants Joe to like his best friend. Perhaps when the war is over they could all pick berries together at the farm.</p>
<p>The telephone lines are still down and Blake’s stomach twists at the thought that Scho still thinks he’s dead. He wonders how his friend is handling it. He fears the reality that Scho has already moved on, although it is the most likely answer, and possibly the best for Scho, for it was best to forget and move on than to live in pain. People die in the war all the time, it’s what war means. It didn’t do to dwell on it.</p>
<p>Slowly he learns to bare the pain of sitting up. Slowly after that he learns to bare the pain of walking a few steps, aided by walking sticks at first. Determination fuels his every step. He is going to see Scho again soon, as soon as he can walk just a little bit further.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few days later and a truck is arranged to head for the 8th. Tom gives his big brother a crushing hug.</p>
<p>“I’ll see you again when this bloody war is over” he whispers.</p>
<p>Joe hugs him tighter, “You better. I refuse to loose you again”.</p>
<p>They hold for as long as possible before regretfully letting go. Tom watches his brother put on a strong brave face and he attempts to copy it.</p>
<p>Joe laughs at his attempt and ruffles his brothers hair, “Give Schofield my thanks”.</p>
<p>Tom beams up at his brother with his biggest smile and pulls him in for one last hug, it hurts but he ignores the pain. He feels his brothers hand on the top of his head and he can’t help but step back in time. Joe has always had his back, he’s always been then when Tom needed him the most with a comforting hand on his head.</p>
<p>After parting again, Tom bears though the pain and jumps up onto the truck. Squished in-between many other soldiers, he feels his heart soar. It hurts to leave his brother, knowing the chance that he may never see him again, but he has a job to do and a friend to find.</p>
<p>He waves as the truck starts up. His brother waves back, all the way until his out of sight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The journey is long, many of the others take naps, or sing silly songs to pass the time. But Tom simply watches the landscape go by. Some of it almost seems familiar, but then everything looks the same in no mans land.</p>
<p>Tom wonders what Scho must have gone though, after he and Tom separated. Apparently he had only just made it in time, or... a little late as the battle had already started. From Toms memory, he was sure they still had plenty of time left. Joe had said that Scho had lost everything, his bag and equipment. How had that happened?</p>
<p>It didn’t matter now, they are finally near the outposts of the 8th. Tom feels an odd sense of ‘going home’, returning to the familiar campsite. Once the truck stops, Tom is the first one off, almost forgetting his pain entirely as he searches for his friend.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few old mates approach him, clapping him on the shoulder. Apparently news had spread of his death. After asking everyone where he might find Schofield, he doesn’t come any closer to an answer as no one seems to know.</p>
<p>He doesn’t worry too much, Scho and he had a few places they frequently went to be away from everyone. That morning they left, they had been at their tree near the fields. Determined, Blake walks slowly and carefully towards the tree.</p>
<p>He sees it as it appears in the distance. Tom tries to see if he can spot anyone near it, no such luck. Perhaps he’s hidden, on the other side? Tom desperately hopes Scho is there, it would suck if he wasn’t and Tom had walked all that way.</p>
<p>As he gets nearer and nearer, he begins to loose hope.</p>
<p>He’s not too far from it now, and there’s no sign of anyone there. But he’s come too far to give up before checking.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Walking around, Toms heart leaps as he finally spots an outstretched foot come into view, then another. He smiles widely. Slowly, so as to not make a sound, he walks carefully around the tree some more until he’s facing his long lost friend.</p>
<p>Scho has his eyes closed, he looks so tired, entirely different from that last Morning they woke up together. Tom remembers the last time they were here, and he reached out his hand, picking his soldier to go on a mysterious mission with.</p>
<p>He reaches out his hand and grunts to catch Schos attention.</p>
<p>Schofields reaction is slow, his eyes ever so slightly fluttering open. He looks at the hand stretched out in front of him, before trailing his eyes up the arm, and finally looking at Blake, who’s smile is almost blinding.</p>
<p>“Blake?” He whispers, disbelief colouring his voice</p>
<p>Tom nods. Scho blinks rapidly, he looks back at the hand. Hesitantly, he reaches out. As their fingers touch, he recoils swiftly. Scho looks back at Tom.</p>
<p>“You’re dead” He says.</p>
<p>Tom leans down so he’s even height with his friend who’s still leaning against the tree.</p>
<p>“I’m alive Scho. Really”</p>
<p>Scho continues to stare at Tom, his disbelief slowly melting away. He reaches out again - this time cupping Toms cheek softly. His fingers shaking as he feels the warmth and softness of his friend, the friend he thought had died.</p>
<p>Tom can’t handle it anymore, he pulls Scho into a tight embrace, his arms around his best friend. After the shock wears off, Scho moves his hands to go around his best friend.</p>
<p>“I missed you” Scho says</p>
<p>Tom chuckles, “and I you” He says, his hands wrapping tighter around his friend.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The two stay like that until the last ray of sunshine vanishes that day.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wrote the majority of this a while ago, but I thought I’d finish and post it as a way to celebrate Remembrance Day.<br/>Maybe I can’t really go back in time and save anyone, but I can at least save Blake in this way and give him a happy ending.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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